Nearly 1,000 Strangers Attend Funeral for Homeless Vet

Everybody should have mourners attend their funeral, and one Oklahoma City community made sure of that when a local homeless veteran passed away.

Earlier this month, hundreds of people showed up for Jerry Billings’ funeral, but not one of them had ever met the veteran before.

“This was just amazing, absolutely amazing,” Christine Hoffman, an employee of the city said in an interview with KFOR. “My heart is just swollen.”

Billings passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 69. When no family members came forward to collect his remains, numerous veteran organizations stepped up to honor him.

Dignity Memorial Network, a program that provides burial services for late homeless vets, arranged a funeral service for Billings, and Oklahoma City Veterans Connect spread the word asking for veterans to attend in order to honor the late Vietnam veteran. More than 750 people responded.

A huge thank you to the Oklahoma City community and the various veteran organizations who banded together to ensure this American hero received a proper burial. We appreciate all the amazing work you do.

Those interested in seeing clips of the heartfelt memorial can do so by watching the video below.